Jan. 14, 2008

No. 21 Maryland Gets By North Carolina, 19-17

North Carolina gave the No. 21 Maryland wrestling team all it could handle, but the Terrapins came from behind to win at Carmichael Auditorium on January 13, 19-17, in the ACC opener for both schools. Maryland's three ranked wrestlers from 174 to 197 pounds paved the way for the win with sophomore Hudson Taylor coming up with the clinching pin at 197.

The Terps were down 14-6 after the first six matches of the dual. Sophomore Mike Letts, ranked No. 7 at 174 pounds, started the Maryland comeback with a 12-3 major decision against Kyle Kiss. Then junior Josh Haines, ranked No. 18 at 184 pounds, continued the momentum for the Terps with a 4-0 win to close the deficit to one at 14-13.

Taylor, ranked No. 8 at 197 pounds, then recorded a pin with just 23 seconds left in his match to give Maryland its first lead at 19-14 with the heavyweights left. It was Taylor's team-leading 13th pin of the season.

If the Terps were to hold on to the win, redshirt freshman Patrick Gilmore had to hold his own against Justin Dobies, ranked No. 18 in the weight class. Gilmore was up to the task, keeping the junior to a decision, losing 10-3. With Gilmore's performance, he held the Tar Heels (3-3, 0-1 ACC) to just three points, securing the 19-17 win for Maryland.

Tar Heels Rebound With Largest Victory Since 1998

After dropping a hard-fought Atlantic Coast Conference opener to No. 21 Maryland, North Carolina rebounded with its largest margin of victory in 10 years in a 48-0 win over Belmont Abbey in wrestling action Sunday at Carmichael Auditorium. The Tar Heels (4-3) built an early lead but could not hold off the Terrapins (9-3) in a 19-17 loss in the day's first dual and followed the shutout win over the Division II Crusaders (2-1).

Junior Keegan Mueller and redshirt freshman Nick Stabile had big days for the Tar Heels, as both recorded a major decision against Maryland and a technical fall against Belmont Abbey at 141 and 165 pounds, respectively. The 13th-ranked Mueller, ran his record to 17-3 overall and 7-0 in duals, while Stabile improved to 14-3 on the season and 6-1 in duals.

After losing to Maryland, Carolina came back with four pins, two technical falls and two major decisions against Belmont Abbey. The 48-point win was the largest for the Tar Heels since a 51-0 victory over The Citadel in 1998, and the shutout was the first for UNC since a 40-0 win over American in 2004.